The Monday Media Diet with Caroline McKay

On Cabana, The Gift of Fear, and Amelia Earhart

Caroline is a friend of WITi and I really love her taste in hotels, and also her Substack! -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

I’m Caroline, the founder of Caro, a hospitality, design, and CPG PR firm and creative studio based in New York. I spend my days helping brands tell their stories in ways that actually get people to care, and my nights digging through restaurant openings, hotel launches, and under-the-radar spots that I can research and inevitably add to our Substack newsletter (sorry, shameless plug).

I’m curious by nature and endlessly fascinated by what makes someone feel drawn to a place or an idea. When I’m not working or scrolling through the menu of a restaurant on a small island off the coast of Italy, I’m chasing that “little kid tired” feeling, runs, bike rides, hikes, tennis, you name it. Anything that leads to a full-body knock-out by 10 pm.

Describe your media diet.

I like a high/low mix when it comes to media. Cabana or Yolo Journal for the eye candy and daydreaming, Air Mail deep dives for a little shameless indulgence, and NY Mag or FT’s How to Spend It when I’m feeling curious but fiscally irresponsible.

I’ve also really loved how newsletters and Substack have taken off; there’s something so satisfying about getting intel straight from someone who knows and who’s writing for a like-minded crowd. Most of what I consume from the latter ends up as a pin on my Google Maps under “lemons” (my tag for places I’m dying to go).

What’s the last great book you read?

I’ll preface this by saying: I love to read, but I’m not exactly known for my refined literary taste. My usual rotation bounces between thrillers and bad romance novels. But this recommendation falls into neither of those camps.

I finally picked up The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, a book my older brother had been telling me to read for years, and I couldn’t put it down. De Becker is a leading security expert who teaches people how to recognize danger before it happens by listening to their instincts and decoding subtle social cues. His perspective comes from a childhood shaped by violence, where he learned to read the signs of danger as a means of survival. He went on to become a three-time presidential appointee and has advised some of the most prominent public figures on safety.

His insights are powerful, especially for women, who often ignore their gut instincts in favor of being polite. This book made me realize how deeply we’ve been taught to suppress our intuition and how essential it is to tune back in. Everyone should read it.

What are you reading now?

We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade by Elyce Arons.

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I’m a little sporadic (sometimes I have the attention span of a shrimp), so I tend to dive in somewhere in the middle, scan both ends, and bounce around depending on the mood. It’s less of a strategy, more of a choose-your-own-adventure approach that somehow always works out.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

Emily Henry. We need a bit more love (and fun!) in our world. Her books are rom-com-esque, yes, but also smart, funny, and emotionally sharp. There’s comfort in the predictability of a good love story, and honestly, that’s part of the magic. Sometimes knowing things will work out is the joy.

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone?

West. It’s my favorite photo editing app.

Plane or train?

Always train. I love that it’s a more old school and slower way of traveling. Sitting by the window is ideal, and the slow, steady movement always rocks me to sleep. Travel-wise, Oriental Express or Rovos are a total lifetime dream.

What is one place everyone should visit?

I’m hesitant to name one place everyone should visit; travel is so personal. But I will say: challenge yourself. It’s easy to default to the places everyone’s going, but the magic happens when you veer off the path.

Some of my most memorable trips are the ones that made me think differently or see the world in a new way. In Cambodia, I saw tragedy and love exist side by side. In Egypt, the sheer age of the ruins and the care taken to preserve them gave me a whole new perspective on time and how small we really are. Travel doesn’t always have to be far-flung or difficult, but the sweet spot is wherever gets you a little outside your comfort zone. That’s when things shift, and it gets interesting.

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

My most recent rabbit hole was Amelia Earhart. I read an article (wish I could remember where) that questioned her technical flying skills, including a few quotes from another female pilot around that time, and painted her husband as more of a PR-obsessed manager than a supportive partner. That was all it took; I jumped right in. I read everything I could find about her life, her final flight, the conspiracy theories, the technical details of her plane, and the latest underwater searches. The happy ending optimist in me hopes she survived and lived out her days incognito somewhere else in the world. But bottom line: someone has to find that plane. It’s a mystery that somehow feels too big to stay unsolved, especially with all the technology today.